LA TUNA CANYON PARK
Let’s go on a fun and easy hike you guys….
Our group briefly glanced at this trail as a “new/fun/quick” trail so we jumped for it and headed out in the morning.
Getting to the trail head was easy with the Google maps and address of:
8000 La Tuna Canyon Road, Sun Valley, CA
With plenty of parking and clear starting point this is a nice spot. There will be a parking lot further east of this lot if using the iPhone maps. In a matter of minutes the trail will go down the hill and lead you to a dry waterfall in September but there is still mud from the springs belong. Backpack used is my VooDoo Tactical SRTP; great all around pack.
See that trail going up?
After an intense 45 minute stair master session full of switch backs and loose rocks on the single file trail we made it to the top of the first of many peaks and able to see the starting point. We didn’t want to turn around so we kept on going up and up. The accent took about 3 hours due to breaks to keep cool since it was a very hot day. Rule of trail: Take your time and enjoy it.
The heat and steady climb was demoralizing but we all kept our spirits up and thinking of a ice cold slushy was the light at the end of the tunnel. We arrived to a fire road and then the “bench rest spot”. Looking at the maps we took the hard back way while everybody will take the fire road but we were some badasses.
From the bench we could rest in the shade with a perfect breeze on the mountain top to cool down. This is the view looking north to see the city north of the 210 and being a clear day it looks great.
Flip around and take a look at the antennas you see on top of the mountains while driving on the 134 but now you can almost touch them. It seems like the bench we stopped at is the junction for many trails and you can spend a lot of time up here on an adventure if you choose to.
Walking down the fire road in a large hook path we were able to see the LA Downtown sky line with some smog but not much today.
Time to panic?
Since it was a very hot day and there was six of us with varying hiking experience we were going through the water faster than normal. We were well prepared but it was just very hot. On the way down we were taking more breaks to rest and not need more water. On the last mile with the secondary parking lot in sight we ran out of water which is very bad but we were almost there!
Is that an oasis?
When we arrived to the secondary parking lot(east of where we started) we were parched and across the street was a lush nursery which stood out from the arid mountains range it was nestled in. We asked the owner who was in the process of closing and locking the main gate for water and told him of our situation. He was gracious enough to give us a bottle of water each and it was the best thing ever. This oasis is called Southland Nursery.
After the pit stop at the nursery we walked along the road back to our cars to complete the “hike through”. In my car I had 3 gallons of emergency water that we used to hydrate and cool off.
Tip: When you have “hot car” water and need to cool down your body quickly you can achieve this temperature drop in seconds. Pour the hot water into a shirt and spin in the air. The water will evaporate and cool down in seconds and ready to be worn to drop body heat if needed.
Quote for this hike; “Success is found outside your comfort zone”.
Stats from the hike gathered by a FitBit in the group.
Steps: 20K~
Calories burnt: 4K~
Miles: 8~
Floors(stairs) 170~
